


and life isn't fair anymore

by childofthenight2035



Series: Put Your Glasses On [30]
Category: GOT7, JJ Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, music producer!Jaebeom, preschool teacher!Jinyoung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27652604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childofthenight2035/pseuds/childofthenight2035
Summary: His grip on his phone grows tighter in horror—what the hell is this supposed to mean?But he knows exactly what this means.
Relationships: Choi Youngjae/Jeon Wonwoo, Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung
Series: Put Your Glasses On [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685593
Comments: 33
Kudos: 80





	and life isn't fair anymore

**Author's Note:**

> um so here?
> 
> because i apparently havent made it clear enough, YOO youngjae is jb's best friend and partner, CHOI youngjae is the kid jy met at the exam; jb does not know CHOI youngjae; and CHOI youngjae's parents own sunrise

Jinyoung hates the silence. 

It isn’t often that he gets the apartment to himself, without the twins, without it being full to the brim with _noise_. Constant bickering, things and/or people being pushed over, screaming competitions at odd hours, music blasting, video game sound effects—suddenly gone. Just like that. He appreciates the peace, but not with their absence. 

He’s called them several times over the last week, always using excuses of ‘ _where the hell did you put my hoodie_ ’ or ‘ _is this a French fry under your bed, that’s disgusting, you’re grounded when you get back_ ’; but he just wants to hear their voices. 

He’ll never admit it to their faces, but he _misses_ them. So much. He knows it’s their vacation, and they sure as hell deserve to go home and see their mother while he’s stuck here wrapping up the last couple weeks of pre-school and preparing for summer daycare. But he still wishes they were here, to fill in this quiet. 

His results are being posted, like, tomorrow. So there’s that, too.

He’s stressed. 

He’s spent quite some time over at Jaebeom’s, unable to sleep knowing that he’s alone in his apartment. Jaebeom understands, though he’s lived alone for a long time—back when Youngjae moved out, Jaebeom says, he found himself outside his best friend’s place a lot in the middle of the night. It’s alright. The twins will be back in no time. He’s considered asking Jackson to come stay for a while, but the man is riding the high of the mixtape or whatever that he and Mark were working on with Jaebeom. Jinyoung is a little miffed that he hasn’t met the man yet, but Jackson insists only if it grows serious. 

He spends Saturday finishing up work and doing some cleaning that would never happen otherwise (Jaebeom, with many pleading words of apology and kisses, explained that he would be working the weekend; they’ve got a new project) all while thinking about how he would need to go to the university to get his results in person the next day. And he spends Sunday morning trying to calm the knot in his intestines. His result is going to come out in a few hours. He’ll be fine. 

He’s standing in the middle of the kitchen, absently scratching his stomach, when he gets the email.

It’s from the owners, from the parent company under whose general administration Sunrise is. That doesn’t bother him, he gets plenty of these regarding his plans for the pre-school—it’s nearing summer, so he guesses this must be about the daycare. He opens it. 

He doesn’t read very far before his heart suddenly picks up pace. _We regret to inform you…complaints against you…inappropriate behaviour…personal relationships with guardians…inquiry in the coming week…may expect your resignation…_!

His grip on his phone grows tighter in horror—what the hell is this supposed to mean? 

But he knows exactly what this means. 

He remembers the dirty looks he’s been given from parents, that evening when Yerin came in and spoke to him about what rumours were being spread (which were not rumours). There hadn’t been any issues after that, and besides—he hasn’t done anything wrong! Jaebeom isn’t Yugyeom’s parent; he’s not responsible for him. He’s only there to help out his sister. Jinyoung hasn’t intentionally lied to anyone; he may have concealed the fact that he’s gay but that—that isn’t a reason to fire him! Wait, _is_ it a reason? Do employers have the freedom to fire someone if they’re gay? 

He’s panicking. He’s definitely panicking. 

He suddenly wants more than anything to see Jaebeom, but he’s working. Jackson isn’t in town. Ye-eun is probably busy on Sunday and the twins aren’t here, either. He forces himself to breathe, gripping the kitchen counter for support. _Jinyoung-ah, it’s going to be fine. There’s an inquiry, and you have people to support you. It’s going to be fine. You won’t have to resign at all._

It’s in this state of constant self-reassurance that he drives to the university. 

It’s packed. He only just gets a parking spot. Several departments’ results must be getting posted today. He makes a mental note to remind the twins of their result day. They might need to come back to the university for it. He still doesn’t understand why the head of departments need to speak to them in person. 

He finds his way to the Department of Psychology. There are a lot of students milling around there too, in some haphazard line outside the staff room. There aren’t any seats available, so he leans against the wall and zones out—he’s still reeling from that email. It’s not even worry about his results anymore. _What if I do get fired? What am I going to do? I don’t want to leave Sunrise. I might not be able to get a job in any of the subsidiary businesses under this parent company, and they cover a lot—will I need to leave Seoul? No. Stop it, Jinyoung. You’re overreacting. I said it’s going to be fine. You. Haven’t. Done. Anything. Wrong._

“Uh, Jinyoung hyung, right?” 

He snaps out of his head and standing there in front of him is Youngjae. _Choi_ Youngjae. That boy he sat next to for his exam. There’s a blinding smile on his face. 

“Youngjae, hey,” he says, and he knows his own grin doesn’t meet his eyes. “You got your results?”

“Yep.” He holds up an envelope. “I didn’t do too badly.”

“Wait, aren’t you majoring in music?” Jinyoung remembers. “Why are you here?”

Youngjae tilts his head towards a young man sitting on a chair outside the office. He looks stressed, leg bouncing and cracking his knuckles. “That’s my—my boyfriend. Wonwoo. He’s a psych major. I came to give him some company.” Despite his own life on the verge of being ruined because he has a boyfriend, Jinyoung claps this young man on the shoulder and hopes that nothing similar ever happens to him. “You okay, hyung? You look sick. Is it about the results?”

He shakes his head. “It’s just—an inquiry. At work. I—” He breaks. “I might get fired.”

Youngjae’s face falls briefly. But then he tenses. “Wait, I thought you worked at Sunrise?”

Belatedly, Jinyoung recalls the day of his exam, when Youngjae was surprised to hear that he worked at the pre-school, for a reason unknown to him. “Ah. Yes. I do.” 

The younger man shifts uneasily in place. “What—what’s the inquiry for? Why would you get fired?”

He waves a weary hand. “It’s a long story.”

“No, hyung—” Youngjae presses, a sort of determination in his eyes that takes him aback. “Please tell me why.”

Jinyoung stares at this boy several years younger than him, a boy he’s met only once before, this boy filled with indignation for him. “Parents have complained that I—that I have a boyfriend and that I’m behaving “inappropriately”—” He makes air quotes in an attempt to save face. “So for being gay, basically. They think I’m teaching their kids debauchery.”

Youngjae’s expression shifts from concern to something darker, something full of anger and disgust. It startles him. He wants to ask, what happened; he wants to say, it’ll be okay, don’t worry, I have some people who will support me; but before he can even open his mouth, Youngjae is storming over to his boyfriend, says something Jinyoung can’t hear, then turns on his heel and stalks away, looking _furious_. His boyfriend (Wonwoo?) is on his feet in alarm, watching Youngjae leave. 

They make eye contact briefly and he considers saying something. 

But then someone is calling out Wonwoo’s name. He enters the office and Jinyoung is left alone with his confusion.

**Author's Note:**

> idk how to fire people so sorry for the inaccuracies  
> i am totally procrastinating rn


End file.
